ReArranged
by Kurosawa Seiji
Summary: Faster, stronger and better Keitaro. This is my variation of LH. Keitaro looks like when he got back from his travels with Seta, so expect some martial arts fighting. No pairings just yet.
1. The New Owner

Love Hina Re-Arranged 

An original fanfiction by Kae G.

disclaimer I don't own LH, at least not yet... But I do own this fanfic!

"speaking"

_thinking_

_[electronic sounds]_

Episode 1. The Hinata Inn: The New Owner.

I kept wondering what would make aunt Haruka call me in the middle of my training. Hell, no one was supposed to know where I was, I even took an extended leave from Toudai and my martial arts teaching, not telling them where I would go. Yet again, this is Aunt Haruka we're speaking of. She could find the needle in the bunch of hay, so to speak.

Since I was in Fukuoka, I'd have to take the train to Tokyo, and then would take a couple of hours to get there. But I wasn't in any hurry, since aunt Haruka didn't say when should I arrive, or if this was an emergency. So I went to the ticket booth to get the boarding ticket and proceeded to platform 3, where my train would leave at 8:12 am.

Since I had about fifteen minutes to waste before my train arrived, I decided to buy something for the trip, so I went to the small shop at the end of the platform.

"Irasshaimase!", said the girl behind the counter, putting up her brightest smile.

"Ohayo", I said, looking around for something to buy. I picked a Suntory mineral water and some fruit. It wasn't much, but I wasn't planning on eating at all, so this would do.

"Ohayo gozaimashita! It will be ¥276.49, please" she said. I handed her the money and picked up my things. Then the PA sounded, drowning her 'have a nice day' answer.

[The train leaving for Tokyo is arriving at platform three. Please stay behind the yellow line until the train has completely stopped and the doors are opened, thank you. The train...]

Well, this was it. I still can't figure out why would I be needed back at the Inn, but not that it really mattered right now. I'd worry about it later. So I got up on the train, searched for my seat (12D) and proceeded to it. Once there I put all my things in the upper compartment and relaxed. I wasn't carrying much: a small duffel bag with two changes of clothing, some toiletries, my trusted katana Muramasa and the things I bought at the station. Talk about light traveling.

Six hours later I found myself standing in front of the Inn. My aunt's teahouse was at my right, so I decided to go there, since it was her who called me, not grandma Hina. As I proceeded to go there, I had the feeling that this was not going to be a normal day anymore. Sure enough, as I was getting closer to the house I heard a commotion. It looked like there was some sort of trouble going on in there.

I proceeded with caution and saw two figures with black clothes and with hoods covering most of their face. Leaving my things at the entrance, I crept silently to the first one, who had its back to me. I quickly jumped out of my hiding spot without a sound, put a hand in the mouth of the thief and proceeded with a headlock. Rapidly kicking him in the gut, he fainted. I could tell now there were two men, but I didn't know how many more could be there. I carefully laid him in the floor trying not to make any sound. The other one never seemed to notice, since he was really busy raiding the cash machine. I could see the girl that I assumed worked with my aunt, but I couldn't see her around. The girl was gagged and tied up, crying. I crawled around a table, trying to get close to her. She suddenly noticed me and had a panicked look on her face. I held one finger close to my mouth, signaling her to be silent.

Finally getting to her, I untied her and took of the gag. She was rubbing her wrists where she had been tied up. "Where is Miss Urashima?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. I glanced back to the thief but he was still trying to get as much money as possible. "She went to the market", the girl whispered back. "Who are you?" she asked. I could see that she was still scared, so I decided to calm her nervousness. "I'm Miss Urashima's nephew, Keitaro Urashima," I said, then signaled her to be quiet. The other man had finished with the cash, and was now looking around, as if searching for something. _Shit, he's looking for the other guy!_ I tried to crawl back to where the other man was, but the girl grabbed my wrist. "Please, don't leave me here!", she pleaded, starting to cry again. _Damn, I need to do something. Think, Keitaro, think!_ And I found my answer when a gruffly voice spoke.

"Hey, T. J., are ya ok? C'mon, wake up, dammit!" I knew I had to do something, so I turned back to the girl, hugged her and I told her I'd be back. Startled, she let go, and I found my opportunity to attack. He was right in front of me, so he quickly noticed me. "What the--?", he said, starting to get up, but I never gave him the chance. With a quick kick to his head, he went out cold. I was turning around to go and get the girl when I heard her screaming. I ran up to where she was, and I found another thief. Apparently, he was the leader, since he was taller and more well built than the other two. He was holding the girl and had his gun, a six-bullets PPKS, .38 caliber ACP, pointing at me. Now I was in deep shit.

"Let her go," I said, keeping my cool. I glanced back to where the two other thieves where, but they were out of the fight. All I had to do is take the last one out, call the police and talk with the girl. I suddenly did something that was going to hurt me, but I saw no other way out, so I started walking towards the criminal. "What do you think you're doing, you idiot? Stay back!", he said, but really looked like he'd rather be anywhere but here. Well, that made two of us. Three, if I counted the girl. In a foolish display of arrogance I dared him to shoot me. I could've died right there and then, but it looked like luck was on my part. Just as he was about to shoot, the girl bit his arm making him miss his shot. Not for much, mind you, since the bullet did hit me in the arm. But I was still alive, so there's that to be grateful for. The goon shoved the girl roughly to the floor, rubbed his arm and made an attempt to aim again. Too bad I was in front of him now. I roughly punched the gun out of his hand with my right hand, since my left one was holding a bullet, and kicked him in the stomach. I sidestepped when he tried to punch me and did ducked when he made a backhanded slap. I jumped slightly backwards, out of his punching range. When he came charging at me, I waited impassively until the last moment, when I did a backflip kick, hitting him squarely in the jaw. He fell in his back, and I took the chance to go check on the girl while he was getting up. I helped her to her feet and noticed that she had a red spot in her right cheek, where the goon had hit her. I told her to go with the neighbors and call the police. "I'll keep him entertained, you just hurry and get safe", I said, going to face the thief once again. I saw her leave the building, and felt a bit more relaxed. _At least no one else is getting hurt with this. Now lets finish this._ And I proceeded to the kitchen where I saw the man rubbing his jaw. He stood up when he saw me.

"You will pay fer this, you piece o' shit!", he said, spittle going out of his mouth. He came at me, taking me by surprise with his speed. He was not like before, slow and aimless, this time he was more focused and intent on killing me.

I don't remember when did the police arrived, or what happened after that. Right now I was at an ambulance with my arm being tended to, and the police asking me questions. I couldn't honestly answer most of them, but the ones I could, I did. I told them I was the nephew of the owner of the teahouse, Haruka Urashima, and that my name was Keitaro Urashima. That I didn't know who those men were, and that I had just arrived here after a two month training in Fukuoka. Seemingly satisfied with this, they told me I was free to go. My arm felt numb, but it could be because of the anesthetic than from anything else. Before the police left, I asked them about the girl who was working in the teahouse. "She's fine," one of them told me, "She's at the teahouse now, with Miss Urashima." I gave my thanks to them and headed to the teahouse. As I was arriving, I could hear the police sirens fade away in the distance, taking with them the thieves.

When I entered I saw her sitting in one of the tables. She was drinking some tea with my aunt, just like the police guy told me. "Hey there," I said, heading towards the table they were sitting. Both of them turned around and greeted me. "Hello Keitaro," said my aunt, "good to see you're fine." She was worried, I could see it in her eyes.

"Well, aunt, I'm as fine as one can be, I think, but I'm more concerned for her," I said, signaling in the direction of the girl with my head. Suddenly I felt something hitting me in the back of my head. Turning around, I saw it was my aunt that had hit me with a fan. "Haruka-san da yo!," she said, looking at me with mock anger in her eyes. I heard some giggling and turned to see the girl stifling her giggles with her hands. She noticed me looking at her, blushed and stopped giggling. "I- I'm f-fine," she said, "but I wanted to t-thank you, sir". She stood up, bowed and said her thanks. "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for your help." She then sat dawn and looked at the floor, her head down.

"Oh, that. Don't sweat it, girl! I'm glad I could help," I said, trying to ease the tension. It was up until this point that I realized that I didn't know her name yet. Well, not that I had had the time to think about it when I was worried about getting her out unharmed. "Say, what's your name? I don't think we've been properly introduced."

She suddenly stood up and bowed. "My name is Kanako. Kanako Sanjou, sir!" She was still bowing when I reintroduced myself. "Well, Miss Sanjou, I'm Keitaro Urashima, and though the circumstances of our meeting are far from ideal, I'm still pleased to make your acquaintance." I said and bowed to her level. We both straightened ourselves, and I smiled at her. Suddenly, I felt another hit from the famous fan that my aunt was holding. I turned around, wanting an explanation. "Stop flirting with my employees, Keitaro," she said, but now she was smoking a cigarette. Both I and Kanako blushed. She was really pretty, her brown hair down to her shoulders, and eyes that showed a great deal of emotions. She was shy and a bit quiet, but that was fine. After all, she was just sixteen or so, and had been in a situation that most of the people would never experience.

"Haruka-oba-- er... Haruka-san," I winced, seeing her getting ready to strike me down with her fan for calling her obasan. But she calmed down when I corrected myself. "Haruka-san, I'm not flirting with Sanjou-san...", "Kanako is fine, sir," she said, looking a bit embarrassed after saying it. "Right, well, as I said, I'm not flirting with Kanako-san. And you," I said, facing Kanako, "you can call me Keitaro, ok?" She smiled.

"Are you sure you're not flirting with her? 'Cause it sure looks like it to me." Said my aunt. "I'm really sure, _obasan_," I said, stressing the last word to annoy her. Now that I think of it, I should never do that again, the whatever-it-was that she hit me with must have weighed a ton, since I found myself staring up-close to the floor as soon as I said it. I got up, dusting myself off.

"So," said my aunt, "what brings you here, nephew?" She looked like she had forgotten it, the call and everything. "What, you don't remember?," I asked, not really believing her. "You're the one that told me to come here, and then left me wondering what was it."

"Uh, really? Now, what could it possibly be?," she frowned, confusion etched in her face. She looked like she was thinking about it, but not succeeding at actually remembering. That's when Kanako spoke. "Maybe it had something to do with Grandma Hina leaving to go traveling?"

_Grandma Hina left? And to travel, nonetheless?_, I could not believe it. _Man, that woman is crazy_. But I was happy for her, she was living her dreams. But then I remembered something. _If she's gone, who's running the Inn?_ I had a bad feeling about this.

"Yes, yes! That's it!", Haruka said, walking away and going behind the counter. She shuffled some papers, opened a drawer and took out more papers. She came back where Kanako and me were standing, looking slightly excited. Now I was truly confused. What could make my aunt look excited? Well, I know what, but I don't think he's in those papers. Hell, last time I saw him he was going to some excavation place in a deserted island, so he couldn't be even near here.

"Grandma Hina left this to you," she said, handing me the stack of papers. "Those are the property papers and the ownership of the Hinata Inn. But I have to tell you something, the inn is no longer."

"What do you mean?" I asked, examining the papers. Sure enough, there was the ownership inside and the papers saying that I, Keitaro Urashima, was now the legal owner of the Hinata Inn. I handed the papers to Kanako, who was now curios about this new development.

"You shall see soon enough, nephew. But first, help me close the teahouse. Then we will visit your new home." Enough said, I really was having a bad feeling about all this. What had she meant that the inn was no more?

A/N: Well, what do you think? Please read and review. And if you flame me, don't just say 'You suck!' and go away. At least tell me why I suck. Okies, c ya later! Yay!

Side note: As you might have noticed, Kanako and Keitaro are NOT related in any way. This is for story purposes. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Kae G.


	2. Friends and Foes

Love Hina Re-Arranged 

An original fanfiction by Kae G.

disclaimer I don't own LH, at least not yet... But I do own this fanfic!

"speaking"

_thinking_

_[electronic sounds]_

_In the last chapter:_

"_What do you mean?" I asked, examining the papers. Sure enough, there was the ownership inside and the papers saying that I, Keitaro Urashima, was now the legal owner of the Hinata Inn. I handed the papers to Kanako, who was now curios about this new development._

"_You shall see soon enough, nephew. But first, help me close the teahouse. Then we will visit your new home." Enough said, I really was having a bad feeling about all this. What had she meant that the inn was no more?_

Episode 2. The Hinata Inn: Friends And Foes

Naru Narusegawa plopped down in the living room couch of the Hinata dormitory. "I'm SO bored!", she said, sighing, to no one in particular. A muffled grunt came from the other side of the couch. It was Mitsune "Kitsune" Konno, drinking from a sake bottle. Then there was a knock on the door. "Are you expecting anyone?", she asked, knowing full well that Shinobu and Kaolla were still at school at this time, and Motoko wouldn't be back from her training until tomorrow afternoon. Kitsune shook her head. "Nope, not me." She then got up and went to open the door when there was a second knock on it.

When Naru opened the door, she let out a surprised yelp from the sight. In front of her were four weird looking persons. One was a woman about Kitsune's age and height, white-bluish hair down to her waist line and smoke gray eyes, wearing a samurai breast plate and a and a white gi, and wielding two kodachi, one at each side. There also was a young man about the same age, wearing a black and red gi and hakama. He had dark brown hair and matching eyes, and had a katana also by his side. The third one was a sumo wrestler, about 2.10 meters tall, black hair arranged into a loose ponytail and black eyes, wearing a huge light blue silken robe. The last one of the strangers was a little girl who looked like Shinobu's twin, but with tanned skin and black hair down to her shoulder blades, also arranged in a ponytail, wearing khaki pants and a sleeveless dark green blouse. The little girl was sitting on top of the wrestler's shoulders.

"Y-yes, how can I help you?", Naru said, tentatively, looking from one individual to the other. "Konnichiwa," started the young man. "My name is Ichiro. This is Isamu, Marina and Nyamo," he said, pointing to the wrestler, the young woman and the girl. He bowed respectfully and was followed suit by the young woman, while Isamu and Nyamo just nodded their heads. "We are looking for Urashima Keitaro. I believe this is where he came to. This is the Hinata Inn, isn't it?" Naru was still staring at them oddly. Then the sumo man spoke up. "To stare to the guests a bad thing it is." His voice was deep, but with joviality in it. The little girl on his shoulders giggled a bit, which seemed to startle Naru from her trance. The man chuckled softly, patting his potbelly the way sumo wrestlers do, looking up to the little girl.

Realizing her mistake, Naru bowed and quickly answered the question. "Ah, yes, I'm Naru Narusegawa, and yes, this in the Hinata Inn, but now it's a girls dormitory." Kitsune chose that moment to come to scene. "Hey Naru, who was that?" Seeing that they had guests she hurried to Naru's side. "Yes? How can we help you?" Just as Naru, Kitsune was impressed at the oddity of the group. This time, it was the blue haired girl who spoke up and repeated their query. Kitsune answered now. "This is the Hinata Inn, but I haven't heard about this Urashima Keitaro you're looking for. Are you sure this is the address he gave you?"

The wrestler reached under his robe, extracting a crumpled piece of paper. He handed it to Kitsune, who stared in awe at how big his hand was. It could have been, easily, five times bigger than hers. She reached out for the note, read it and passed it on to Naru, who read it out loud.

"_Isamu,_

_I got a phone call from my aunt. I have to head back to Tokyo. I'll be staying at the Hinata Inn. Please take care of Nyamo while I'm away._

Keitaro 

_P.S. I'll try to come back as soon as I can, so tell Nyamo not to worry._"

"Well, it's finally done," I said to myself, looking around the teahouse. The cash machine was the only item that needed repairing, but the people from the company wouldn't send someone until tomorrow. Besides that, the kitchen was clean, and the tables and everything else that had been knocked down or moved aside during the robbery was back in place. I adjusted my gi again, since it happened to open during the clean up, no matter how hard I tied it. My training pants were a bit dusty, but that was not a problem at all. I would take a quick bath in the hot springs, do my laundry and take a nap. As simple as that.

Well, it would have been that simple, had it not been for one single detail: the inn was not an inn anymore. _What could have happened to make grandma close the inn?_ I kept pondering on this fact, unconsciously strapping Muramasa to my obi and shouldering my duffel bag, but my train of thought changed as soon as I felt the familiar weight of the sword resting at my side. _I hope I don't have to use Muramasa. I certainly do not wish to awaken **him**, not after what happened last time. Am I really capable to handle Tenro?_ I sighed. This was something I kept asking myself since I received Tenro, the cursed Muramasa sword. Another thought also entered my troubled mind. _I wish you guys were here. At least things wouldn't be so confusing._

Further thoughts were interrupted by a hand waving in front of me. "Um, sir, are you okay?", asked Kanako. She was giving me a weird look, but she also looked a bit worried. "Yes, I'm fine. I was just wondering what did aunt Haruka meant when she said that the inn was no more. Is it closed now?", I really wanted an explanation about the inn's situation, so I decided to ask Kanako, since aunt Haruka wasn't telling. "And, **please**, call me Keitaro, ok?", I said, smiling at her, trying to ease the mood. However, I never got my answer.

"Do you still insist on flirting with my employees Keitaro?", said my aunt, coming back from wherever she had been. "Anyway, could you go ahead? I just got a business call from a friend, and the matter at hand requires my full attention right now. Kanako-san, could you please be a dear and close down the teahouse for the day?" And without waiting for any kind of answer, she turned on her heels and got out of the teahouse.

The walk up the stairs to the inn was slow. Aunt Haruka had left to attend some urgent business and Kanako had to close the teahouse for the day. I insisted on helping her, but she told me I should go ahead to the inn. "You should get familiar with the inn as soon as possible," she said, "after all, you are the owner now." Well, that was true. _Grandma Hina did left me all the estate, but I don't understand why me, and why now?_

My senses suddenly perked up. I could feel a presence somewhere in front of me. I held out my duffel bag, put it down in the ground and stopped moving. Then the mist came. Three figures came walking towards me, but I felt no threat on any of their energies. As they came closer, I could make out their outlines, and soon, I could see them clearly. Three old men were in front of me, looking at me like I was some sort of lab rat. _What's with them? What do they want? And... where did all this mist came from?_ I looked around, noticing that I couldn't see anything beyond three meters in any direction. Then they spoke.

"Light before darkness. Day before night."

"Good against evil. Reason against impulse."

"Think with your heart and feel with your mind."

"For things are not always what they look like."

"Judge with your soul's eye."

"And you will find the answers to your questions."

"Knowledge is power. Search for it and you shall be rewarded," the three of them intoned that last line, took a step back and faded in the mist.

As soon as it came it was gone. The mist disappeared and I was back at the steps heading to the inn. _What the hell was that all about?_

A shady looking figure stood in a nearby tree branch, hidden by the leaves and shadows cast by its natural cover. It's red eyes glinting and a feral smile upon its mouth. It had been spying Keitaro since he arrived, now getting ready to attack. _This pathetic human will die by my hands. I shall not let master down._ And with a thought on its perverted mind, it leapt towards its unaware prey. Its smile widened. _Yes, I shall rip his heart out and eat it before his eyes!_

I picked up my duffel bag and started to walk, but I didn't get more than two steps before I fell face first into the ground, my left side hurting like hell. I could smell the blood, so I tried to turn around, only to find my left arm feeling numb. I looked down and saw that my shoulder had a huge gash and my blood was pouring out from it.

"Yes, this is going to be fun! Don't you think so?", said a hollow voice from above me, its foetid breath reaching my nose. I knew who that was. "No, I do not think so Varlig," I said, trying to stand up. Lenak Varlig, who had been hunting me down ever since I received Tenro stood in front of me. He was a vampire who hunted anything that had a price on its head. Except maybe me. He seemed to enjoy causing me pain for free. Or maybe he did it for the challenge that laid in my sword.

Standing up, I could now see the full extent of my wounds. _That gash is the only wound I have. At least for now._ "What do you want from me, Varlig? I've already told you, I do not wish to fight you!" He snickered. "Oh, is that so? Because I do want to fight you. Get ready, you fool!", he said, lounging at me faster than I could follow. I barely parried his right claw, which was aimed to my head, but I failed to see his knee coming up. I received it full on my stomach, making the air leave my lungs temporarily. He elbowed me in the back of my head, sending me reeling back to the floor.

"Is that all you got?", Varlig said, starting to laugh. He stopped suddenly and attacked again. "You are more pathetic than I thought!" I managed to avoid his head-on attack this time but I failed to see, once again, one of his kicks. The roundhouse kick hit me in the face, sending me flying a few meters into the air. A tree trunk stopped me in middle-flight. Cornered, he attacked me with a flurry of punches to my head and torso, while I tried to defend myself, unsuccessfully.

I tried to sidestep, but his punches kept flowing and I couldn't seem to avoid most of them. I was losing control of my body reactions. Everything seemed like a blur now, even the punches felt too faraway and alien to me. In a last attempt to free myself I faked a sidestep and then quickly ducked. It worked. He hit the tree trunk and it splintered. I gathered all the strength I had and did a frontal high kick, aiming for his head. But he was faster than I thought. My left leg impacted with his raised right arm, making me lose balance. As he swatted my leg aside, he clawed me in the stomach with his left. Now I knew I was lost. Not only I had an immobilized left arm, but also four slashes in my stomach. I was suffering from blood loss. _I'm going to die this time,_ was my last coherent thought, before darkness came and took me.

A/N: Um... Sorry for the delay, but each time I wrote this chapter something didn't feel right for me, so I kept erasing it and writing it all over again... Three or four times I think, and even though this is finished, I'm still not very pleased about the outcome... sigh well, nothing I can do about it...

Also, I wrote this to introduce some of my original characters in the story. They won't be chaotic in any way, they're just to set a background on why Keitaro looks and acts like he does. And yes, Nyamo is THE Nyamo from Pararakelse Island... I just love her so much I had to put her in! ... Oh, and **Hanku**, sorry 'bout Kana's hair color. I originally intended to do the scene with Tsubame Sanjou (Rurouni Kenshin), but changed it at the last minute, so I forgot to change some tiny details... Like her hair...

To **The Vampire...** I'd really appreciate your help with the 'Mumyu Jinpu Ryu', since I haven't had the chance to read much of the manga, nor have I watched the TV series. I do know some things about SDK, but it's just character profile and story layout. Oh, I hope you liked Lenak!

**DrazenFlames**, you really are the pervert and insanity man... lol... But your idea is somewhat appealing, y'know...

Thank you everyone for your kind reviews. They mean a lot to me, since I never expected to receive any... Well, enough ranting... See ya soon!


	3. Post

Hey, long time no update, ne?

Well, main reason for this is that I'm out of ideas… I'm blocked!

Anyways, I WILL continue to write this fic, just that it'll have a few changes… Mainly, I won't keep working with SDK elements, since I'm not very familiar with it and I may make innumerable mistakes and be hated for it …

Other thing is that I'll be rewriting the chapters, and make my story a bit more entertaining, and won't make my OCs appear so soon, because I'm positive I can write better and give them a more interesting role…

So, anyways, I won't be taking this story down, but instead I'll post something I came up with while sleeping (yes, this post came to me while I was asleep)…

Seriously, I hope all you readers can forgive me for not getting back to work, but I couldn't come up with anything logical to continue writing…

I've posted another story in hopes that it gets my brain back on gear so I can keep writing this… It's called 'A Love Hina Story' (not very original title, but oh well!)…

Thank you for your patience…

Sincerely,

Kurosawa Seiji (K.S)

- formerly 'Kae G.'


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